Experts Who Become Interviewers

Hello Qualitative Mind,

I recently shared with you the big changes I made to Quali Q as I wrapped up my maternity leave and stepped more deeply into my role as the Principal Researcher of Quali Q. These past weeks felt like the beginning of a new era in my career as a researcher and an entrepreneur, and it was fitting that I spent many hours reading qualitative data!

I completed the data analysis of 30 interviews with key stakeholders in Disease Related Malnutrition (DRM). These stakeholders were recruited globally and interviewed by a DRM expert who was also the Principal Investigator (PI) of the study. With their permission, I want to discuss some interesting observations I made about having an area expert and a PI as an interviewer. 

When someone who is very involved in the research, whether a PI or graduate student, conducts qualitative interviews, we can expect them to have objectives, research questions, and perhaps strong agendas. No matter what their professional title is, I always encourage them to engage in reflexivity and lay their goals and expectations for the data on the table. If this is new to you, I want you to download one (or two) of the Quali Q resources on positionality and reflexivity in qualitative research.

In the case of the project I mentioned above, it was clear that to me the interviewer was very (and I mean VERY) knowledgeable in the field of DRM, and that warranted some time with the team to discuss their subjective biases and agendas. They knew a lot and knew what they were looking for in each interview that was conducted. Yet, no one would have been more suitable to conduct those interviews because the expert/PI/interviewer was able to adjust the questions and probes on the spot depending on who the stakeholder was and where they were coming from – both geographically and professionally. As a result, they gathered rich data that will provide a strong support for their overall research project.

As someone who has worked hard to become a better interviewer over the years, I realized that as much as I’ve learned and improved, I might not be the most suitable interviewer for all the projects I take on as a consultant. This was an important lesson for me, and something I’ll discuss with prospective clients when appropriate. For now, all I can say is that I learned a lot through the current project and expert/PI/interviewer… it’s been one of many gifts and privileges of my role in Quali Q, and for that I could not be more grateful!

Talk soon,

Maira